


you're in full blossom

by hoeunki



Series: plum blossom and the orchid [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Flowers, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Romance, it's just renjun being a bit emo, not really - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-07-03 06:09:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15813030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoeunki/pseuds/hoeunki
Summary: The dreamies go to a flower festival and Renjun’s tired of being the seventh wheel. Lucas makes it his mission to cheer him up.





	you're in full blossom

**Author's Note:**

> for the lovely gia <3 
> 
> this was supposed to be a short one shot but I got hella carried away lol

Renjun sat on a bench, swinging his legs as he looked out over the lotus-littered pond. The flowers were gorgeous, speckles of pink and white against bright hues of green. It was nice of Jeno and Donghyuck to suggest coming down to Buyeo for the annual Lotus Festival. Chenle had shown him pictures from the internet and he was instantly captivated by the gorgeous scenery. Seeing those reminded him of home too; his mother used to paint landscapes with lotus flowers and she had even gave him a little lotus charm once. 

But his friends (in a very typical manner) had all run off with their boyfriends, leaving Renjun to admire the environment by himself. 

It wasn’t the first time this happened. When the seven of them hung out, Renjun sometimes couldn’t help but feeling like a seventh wheel. Sometimes they invited Lucas or Jungwoo along, but it wasn’t quite the same. He missed the good old days, when they were young and slightly less gay, hanging around and goofing off with no romantic feelings involved. But whenever he fell into these depressive episodes, guilt would prick at his heart for thinking selfishly. His friends were allowed to be happy, right? It was Renjun’s own fault for being single, for never seeking out a relationship himself. 

“There you are!” 

A large body plopped down into the space beside him. Renjun looked up to see the slightly sweaty but handsome face of Lucas beaming down at him. 

“I've been looking all over for you. This park is  _ huge _ !” he said, gesturing with his long arms. 

Renjun chuckled. “Did you get tired of third-wheeling Mark and Hyuck?” 

He nearly jumped as Lucas placed his head on his shoulder. “Yeah. They kept kissing each other and it got tiring real quick. You?”

“It's mentally exhausting to chaperone Chenle and Jisung when they're on a date,” he answered, fiddling with his phone case. “But I’m used to it.”

“Used to what?”

“Being left out of all the relationship stuff.” Renjun internally winced at how easily his response came. He and Lucas weren’t even that close; they had a few classes together but that was it. Renjun never really saw him apart from school and the occasions when Mark would drag him along. He was kind and thoughtful, and now Renjun probably made him feel awkward by unloading his trivial problems onto him. He could only hope that his reply had flown over Lucas’ head.

They sat in silence, Lucas leaning against Renjun. Being friends with Jaemin had taught Renjun how to deal with naturally clingy people, so he didn't really mind. Lucas also smelled really good, despite the beads of sweat that clung to his forehead. A hint of deodorant and something citrusy. Renjun relaxed, letting himself bask in the midday sun. 

The moment quickly ended as Lucas suddenly jumped up, clasping his hands together. His eyes shimmered with excitement and he grabbed Renjun’s left hand, cradling it between his massive ones.

“I’ll be your boyfriend for the day!” he proclaimed, chest puffing out with pride. 

Renjun’s jaw dropped, but he shook his head to regain composure.

“What?”

Lucas grinned, pearly teeth showing off in a charming smile. “Yeah, come on! It’ll be fun. We can enjoy the festival together.” Lucas was such a big guy, but his current expression reminded Renjun of a large puppy. He could practically see his tail wagging. 

How could he say no to that?

“O-okay…”

“Great!” Lucas tugged Renjun to his feet. Renjun stumbled slightly, but Lucas steadied him with a hand on his waist. “You’re so tiny,” he murmured softly, but Renjun had no time to dwell on it before Lucas whisked him away into the current of tourists.

 

*******

 

Lucas was, unsurprisingly, a very affectionate pretend boyfriend. He kept a firm grip on Renjun’s hand as he dragged him through the park, pulling him close so that he wouldn’t bump into other people. When they were waiting in line to try some lotus tea, he slung his arm over Renjun’s lithe frame and absentmindedly rubbed his shoulder with his palm. 

Lucas seemed to be making a genuine attempt to make Renjun smile and laugh, cracking jokes and making funny poses for Renjun to capture on camera. Renjun had initially dismissed his actions as pity, but he could see now that Lucas was undoubtedly sincere. 

“You like art, right? We should do some fan painting!” he suggested, after polishing off some tofu pancakes. They sat down with some families and old couples and picked out their paints before relocating under a shady tree. 

Renjun took the tiny plastic palette and squeezed out a dollop of yellow and green paint onto it. He carefully dipped his brush into the green and began making neat strokes on the white fan. Lucas sat across him, working diligently on his own. 

It was calming to paint outdoors. Renjun hadn’t painted in a while, so it was nice to sit down and enjoy the breeze while doing something that he loved. Every now and then he would glance up at Lucas, smiling softly at the way his eyebrows furrowed together in concentration.

“You’re so good at painting,” said Lucas, craning his neck to look at Renjun’s artwork once they were finished. He had painted the lake of lotuses, pinks and oranges and reds against a light blue background. The edge of the fan remained white. 

Renjun flushed slightly, as he always did whenever people complimented him. “Thanks.”

Lucas turned his fan around, and Renjun giggled. He had painted a dog, but it almost looked like a child had done it. Its ears weren’t the same size and the shading was a bit off, and the tiny flowers that he added for decoration were a bit messy looking. 

Lucas scratched the back of his head. “I’m no Michelangelo, as you can tell.”

Renjun snickered. “It’s cute, don’t worry.” Lucas’ ears perked up at his words. 

They stood up and started walking, Lucas taking both fans in his hands as he danced along the bridge. He twirled and jumped, laughing his loud, obnoxious laugh that made people’s heads turn. Renjun followed with his phone in hand, videoing the entire scene. 

The two ended up wandering past a sunflower field, where they stopped and took some selfies together. Lucas reached for his hand and casually intertwined their fingers, swinging their arms back and forth as they walked aimlessly. Renjun tried his best not to blush at the harmless gesture. 

“Jeno told me I should try the lotus ice cream. Do you want some?” Lucas offered. Renjun blinked. He almost forgot that his friends were roaming around here too. Lucas had really distracted him from his moping earlier.

“Lead the way.”

The ice cream was only a thousand won, much to Lucas’ delight. He bought a cone for both of them and he licked eagerly at his, making sure not a single drop was wasted. Renjun bit into his own, savoring the delicate, sweet taste. 

When he was finished, Lucas held his hands up to Renjun. “My fingers are sticky,” he chuckled.

Then, he paused, staring intently at something over Renjun’s shoulder. Renjun turned to see children running and chasing each other through a bunch of sprinklers, and when he turned back to Lucas, a mischievous smile had worked its way onto his lips.

Renjun’s eyes widened. “No.  _ Please _ tell me you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking.” 

Lucas pulled the fans out of where they were tucked into his back pockets and placed them gently on a table. He grinned devilishly. 

“It’ll be fun, Junnie.”

Renjun was about to protest when Lucas grabbed his wrist, long fingers locking around it tightly. Renjun yelped as he began to tug, hauling him across the grass. He tried prying Lucas’ fingers off him, but it was no use. When the tiniest bit of water splattered on Renjun’s cheek and he flinched, Lucas’ hand faltered for a second. That was all it took for Renjun to wrench himself out of his grip. 

He whooped, sprinting as fast as he could away from the sprinklers. He was nearly to the food stall area before he felt a pair of strong arms winding around his waist and a deep voice in his ear that sent a shudder down his spine. 

“You’re not getting away that easily.”

He screamed as Lucas picked him up with ease, squirming against him as he was carried back to the sprinklers. Without batting an eyelash, Lucas tossed him into a direct spray of water, cackling as Renjun sputtered. 

Renjun grabbed Lucas by the shirt and pulled him in, using him as a human shield (it was pretty useless, seeing as there were sprinklers everywhere). They shrieked and laughed, splashing water on each other, and Renjun couldn’t help but notice how handsome Lucas looked even with his hair sticking to his face. Renjun slowed down, entranced by the way his eyes lit up with mirth, the way the corners of his lips curled up with every blinding smile. 

He was so preoccupied that he didn’t notice a kid running in his direction as he fled from one of his friends. Lucas was quick to reach for his arm and quickly pulled Renjun towards him before a collision happened. Renjun bounced off Lucas, whose hands caught him by the hips. 

“I didn’t know you were so clumsy,” Lucas giggled. With gentle movements, he brushed Renjun’s wet fringe from his eyes. 

Being the short person that he was, Renjun had to tilt his head up to look at Lucas properly. He was much more good-looking up close, almost unfairly so. Renjun was suddenly aware of how fast his heart was beating, and hoped that his cheeks didn’t give away how flustered he felt. Lucas had one hand on his hip and the other cradling his cheek. Their bodies were close, so close, the space between them practically non-existent. 

“We should probably dry up!” Renjun blurted, when Lucas’ gaze flickered to his lips. He quickly backed away, heart hammering against his ribcage. 

That was close.

 

*******

 

After drying off, they sat down at the bench where Lucas had found him. Renjun texted the others their location as it was time to go home soon. A group of elderly people wearing traditional outfits had entered the pavillion on the lake and were singing songs, their beautiful harmonies soothing to the ears. 

Lucas had once again decided that Renjun’s tiny shoulders made a comfortable pillow, so he slumped down to rest his head on it. Renjun whined that his hair was still wet, but Lucas didn’t budge. 

As they listened to the voices floating over the lotus pond, Renjun ran his hands through the taller boy’s hair, marveling at the way his soft (but slightly damp) locks slid through his fingers like silk. Lucas hummed, eyes fluttering to a close as Renjun continued to comb across his scalp. 

“Thanks for um, volunteering to be my boyfriend for the day,” Renjun mumbled. “I had a lot of fun.”

Thinking back, they had pretty much spent the entire afternoon together, doing things like any other couple at a festival would do. It was almost like...a date. Lucas didn’t respond, so Renjun assumed he had fallen asleep. As he checked his phone, wondering when his friends would come, he nearly missed Lucas’ next words.

“If you want, I could also be your boyfriend tomorrow.”

Renjun froze, unsure of whether he had misheard or not. Lucas sat up, a shy smile on his face. He scratched the back of his neck and Renjun noticed a smattering of pink on his cheeks.  _ Cute _ .

_ This is your chance! _ A voice that sounded suspiciously like Chenle cheered. With an odd surge of confidence, Renjun leaned forward and placed his right hand over Lucas’ left one. “And the day after that, too?” he asked cheekily.

Lucas blinked, the blush on his face darkening. His expression softened and he nodded vigorously. “For as long as you want me to be.”

“Well,” Renjun said, kissing him on the cheek, “Forever’s a pretty long time.”

A sudden shriek startled them and they jumped to their feet. “What the hell is this?!” Donghyuck demanded, pointing an accusing finger at Lucas and Renjun. The other boys trailed behind him, Jaemin and Chenle with matching smug grins. 

Jisung tilted his head. “Why are you guys wet?”

“You owe me five thousand won,” Jeno cheered, elbowing Mark in the side. 

Mark rolled his eyes, pulling out his wallet. “Damn, Renjun, you couldn’t’ve waited like, a couple more days?” 

Lucas smirked, pulling Renjun close to him and clasping their hands together. “What can I say, boys? I’m just so fatally attractive.”

Renjun shoved him so hard he tripped over his own feet and fell into the lotus pond. 

**Author's Note:**

> hmu on my [twitter](https://twitter.com/takadactyl)


End file.
